What Is the Relationship among Spiritual, Moral, and Civil Knowledges and Life?
Key Concept: A person lives a truly moral and civil life only when he lives it from a spiritual origin, that is, from religion (Apocalypse Explained 195).
Those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, [do so] by applying the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life…. [2] Man lives a moral life from a spiritual origin when he lives it from religion; that is, when he thinks, when anything evil, insincere, or unjust presents itself, that this must not be done because it is contrary to the Divine laws. When one abstains from doing such things in deference to Divine laws he acquires for himself spiritual life, and his moral life is then from the spiritual; for by such thoughts and faith man communicates with the angels of heaven, and by communication with heaven his internal spiritual man is opened, the mind of which is a higher mind, such as the angels of heaven have, and he is thereby imbued with heavenly intelligence and wisdom (Apocalypse Explained 195:1-2).
There are general uses which are also uses of charity. The proper and genuine uses of charity are the uses of each one's function and administration. These then become goods of charity, in which love to the Lord exists, or with which that love is conjoined, when man does them from spiritual fidelity and sincerity, which those have who love uses because they are uses, and who believe that every good is from the Lord. But besides these there are other general uses, as faithfully loving the marriage partner, rightly bringing up children, managing the home prudently, and dealing justly with servants. These works become works of charity when they are done from mutual and chaste love; such uses are household uses which are uses of charity. There are still other general uses, such as contributing proper offerings and dues to the ministry of the church, and such good works become uses of charity so far as the church is loved as the neighbor in a higher degree. Again, among general uses may be included the expenditure of means and labor for building and maintaining orphanages and other like institutions. To give aid to the needy solely because they are needy, and to give to beggars solely because they are beggars, are uses of external charity, which charity is called, piety; but these are uses of internal charity only so far as they are derived from use and the love of use. For external charity without internal charity is not charity; the internal must be there to make it charity; for external charity from internal charity acts prudently, but external without internal charity acts imprudently, and often unjustly (Divine Wisdom XI:5).
That by means of doctrine the Word not only becomes intelligible, but also as it were shines with light, is because without doctrine it is not understood, and is like a lampstand without a lamp, as was shown above. By means of doctrine therefore the Word is understood, and is like a lampstand with a lighted lamp. The man then sees more things than he had seen before, and also understands those things which before he had not understood…. But doctrine is not only to be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word, but must also be confirmed thereby; for if not so confirmed the truth of doctrine appears as if only man's intelligence were in it, and not the Lord's Divine wisdom…(Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 54).
It might be believed that the doctrine of genuine truth could be procured by means of the spiritual sense of the Word which is furnished through a knowledge of correspondences. But doctrine is not procured by means of that sense, but is only lighted up and corroborated ... . If a man is not first in genuine truths he may falsify the Word by means of some correspondences with which he is acquainted, by connecting them together and interpreting them so as to confirm that which cleaves to his mind from some principle previously received. Moreover the spiritual sense of the Word is not given any one except by the Lord alone, and it is guarded by Him as heaven is guarded, for heaven is in it. It is better therefore for man to study the Word in the sense of the letter; from this alone is doctrine furnished (Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 56).
The unity of God is most intimately inscribed on the mind of every man, since it is in the midst of all that flows from God into the soul of man; and yet it has not descended therefrom into the human understanding because the knowledges by which man must ascend to meet God have been lacking. For every one must prepare the way for God, that is, must prepare himself for reception; and this is done by means of knowledges…. [2] It is said that the man ascends; but the meaning is that he is raised up by God. For man has free will in acquiring knowledge for himself, and as he acquires knowledges from the Word by means of his understanding he prepares the way by which God may descend and raise him up…. It is wholly different when these knowledges are lacking, or when man despises them….. The result of this is that man remains in the atmospheres and material forms of nature to which his senses of sight, hearing and smell are restricted, and from which he derives no other ideas of heaven and the Being and Essence of God than those that pertain to the atmospheres and to matter. Thinking from such ideas man can form no conclusions about God (True Christian Religion 24:1-2).
The duties of education and management at home, are so numerous that if recounted they would fill a volume…. [3] As to the duties of parents to children in particular, they are inwardly different with those who are in charity and those who are not, although externally they appear alike. With those who are in charity, that love is conjoined with love towards the neighbor and love to God; for by such children are loved according to their morals, virtues, good will, and qualifications for serving the public. But with those who are not in charity, there is no conjunction of charity with parental love; consequently, many such parents love even wicked, immoral and crafty children more than the good, moral, and discreet; thus they love those who are useless to the public, more than those who are useful (True Christian Religion 431:1, 3).
It is exceedingly dangerous to enter with the understanding into dogmas of faith that are concocted out of self-intelligence, and therefore out of falsities, and still more so to confirm them from the Word; by this means the understanding is closed above, and gradually below as well, to such a degree that theology is not only despised but also obliterated from the mind, as writing on paper is by worms, or the wool of a garment by moths. Then the understanding abides only in political matters, which have regard to man's life under the government where he is, and in the civil matters pertaining to his employment, and in the domestic affairs of his own house. And in all these things he constantly kisses nature, and owing to the allurements of her pleasure, loves her as an idolater loves the golden image in his bosom (True Christian Religion 508:3).
What Is the Relationship among Spiritual, Moral, and Civil Knowledges and Life?
Key Concept: A person lives a truly moral and civil life only when he lives it from a spiritual origin, that is, from religion (Apocalypse Explained 195).
Those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, [do so] by applying the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life…. [2] Man lives a moral life from a spiritual origin when he lives it from religion; that is, when he thinks, when anything evil, insincere, or unjust presents itself, that this must not be done because it is contrary to the Divine laws. When one abstains from doing such things in deference to Divine laws he acquires for himself spiritual life, and his moral life is then from the spiritual; for by such thoughts and faith man communicates with the angels of heaven, and by communication with heaven his internal spiritual man is opened, the mind of which is a higher mind, such as the angels of heaven have, and he is thereby imbued with heavenly intelligence and wisdom (Apocalypse Explained 195:1-2).
There are general uses which are also uses of charity. The proper and genuine uses of charity are the uses of each one's function and administration. These then become goods of charity, in which love to the Lord exists, or with which that love is conjoined, when man does them from spiritual fidelity and sincerity, which those have who love uses because they are uses, and who believe that every good is from the Lord. But besides these there are other general uses, as faithfully loving the marriage partner, rightly bringing up children, managing the home prudently, and dealing justly with servants. These works become works of charity when they are done from mutual and chaste love; such uses are household uses which are uses of charity. There are still other general uses, such as contributing proper offerings and dues to the ministry of the church, and such good works become uses of charity so far as the church is loved as the neighbor in a higher degree. Again, among general uses may be included the expenditure of means and labor for building and maintaining orphanages and other like institutions. To give aid to the needy solely because they are needy, and to give to beggars solely because they are beggars, are uses of external charity, which charity is called, piety; but these are uses of internal charity only so far as they are derived from use and the love of use. For external charity without internal charity is not charity; the internal must be there to make it charity; for external charity from internal charity acts prudently, but external without internal charity acts imprudently, and often unjustly (Divine Wisdom XI:5).
That by means of doctrine the Word not only becomes intelligible, but also as it were shines with light, is because without doctrine it is not understood, and is like a lampstand without a lamp, as was shown above. By means of doctrine therefore the Word is understood, and is like a lampstand with a lighted lamp. The man then sees more things than he had seen before, and also understands those things which before he had not understood…. But doctrine is not only to be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word, but must also be confirmed thereby; for if not so confirmed the truth of doctrine appears as if only man's intelligence were in it, and not the Lord's Divine wisdom…(Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 54).
It might be believed that the doctrine of genuine truth could be procured by means of the spiritual sense of the Word which is furnished through a knowledge of correspondences. But doctrine is not procured by means of that sense, but is only lighted up and corroborated ... . If a man is not first in genuine truths he may falsify the Word by means of some correspondences with which he is acquainted, by connecting them together and interpreting them so as to confirm that which cleaves to his mind from some principle previously received. Moreover the spiritual sense of the Word is not given any one except by the Lord alone, and it is guarded by Him as heaven is guarded, for heaven is in it. It is better therefore for man to study the Word in the sense of the letter; from this alone is doctrine furnished (Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 56).
The unity of God is most intimately inscribed on the mind of every man, since it is in the midst of all that flows from God into the soul of man; and yet it has not descended therefrom into the human understanding because the knowledges by which man must ascend to meet God have been lacking. For every one must prepare the way for God, that is, must prepare himself for reception; and this is done by means of knowledges…. [2] It is said that the man ascends; but the meaning is that he is raised up by God. For man has free will in acquiring knowledge for himself, and as he acquires knowledges from the Word by means of his understanding he prepares the way by which God may descend and raise him up…. It is wholly different when these knowledges are lacking, or when man despises them….. The result of this is that man remains in the atmospheres and material forms of nature to which his senses of sight, hearing and smell are restricted, and from which he derives no other ideas of heaven and the Being and Essence of God than those that pertain to the atmospheres and to matter. Thinking from such ideas man can form no conclusions about God (True Christian Religion 24:1-2).
The duties of education and management at home, are so numerous that if recounted they would fill a volume…. [3] As to the duties of parents to children in particular, they are inwardly different with those who are in charity and those who are not, although externally they appear alike. With those who are in charity, that love is conjoined with love towards the neighbor and love to God; for by such children are loved according to their morals, virtues, good will, and qualifications for serving the public. But with those who are not in charity, there is no conjunction of charity with parental love; consequently, many such parents love even wicked, immoral and crafty children more than the good, moral, and discreet; thus they love those who are useless to the public, more than those who are useful (True Christian Religion 431:1, 3).
It is exceedingly dangerous to enter with the understanding into dogmas of faith that are concocted out of self-intelligence, and therefore out of falsities, and still more so to confirm them from the Word; by this means the understanding is closed above, and gradually below as well, to such a degree that theology is not only despised but also obliterated from the mind, as writing on paper is by worms, or the wool of a garment by moths. Then the understanding abides only in political matters, which have regard to man's life under the government where he is, and in the civil matters pertaining to his employment, and in the domestic affairs of his own house. And in all these things he constantly kisses nature, and owing to the allurements of her pleasure, loves her as an idolater loves the golden image in his bosom (True Christian Religion 508:3).
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